Anyone who follows my blog knows that my husband is a very picky eater. Well, my grandchildren can be pretty picky as well and we all live together. This recipe is very easy and the wonderful thing is that you can add anything you want to make this recipe work for your own family. Does your family like onions? How about green peppers? Prefer cottage cheese in your lasagna? This recipe will adapt to your family with very little extra effort. This is a great recipe to take to a potluck.
Servings | Prep Time |
8-16 servings | 30 minutes |
Cook Time |
30-45 minutes |
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This recipe is designed to be simple, use just a few ingredients and adapt to your families taste preferences. If you have picky eaters, the best thing you can do it keep it simple. This recipe makes 2 pans of lasagna. It will either feed a very hungry family or it is intended to make an extra batch to freeze for next time without adding any cooking time to your schedule.
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- 1 1/2 16 ounce packages Lasagna Pasta
- 2-3 pounds Ground Beef
- 2 jars or cans Spaghetti Sauce
- 1 16 ounce package Mozzarella Shredded Cheese
- 1 16 ounce package Cheddar Shredded Cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Powder optional
- 1/4 cup sugar optional
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning optional
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Fill a 6 quart pan 3/4 of the way full of water, add salt if desired and it is advised to add a bit of oil (about 2 Tbsp) to the water. I use vegetable oil but many people prefer olive oil. Cook 10 minutes for al-dente and 18 minutes if you don't like any "hardness" to your pasta. While this is boiling and cooking, prepare your ground beef in a large frying pan. When you have finished frying it, drain the grease. Now add your spaghetti sauce right to that pan. Now stir in your desired spices, if any. When the pasta is done, drain it. Get two 9 x 13 pans ready or casserole dishes of a similar size. I spray mine with cooking spray. Next put some of your sauce and hamburger mixture on the bottom of the pan. If you use a ladel about 1 1/2 ladels should do it. Now carefully line each pan with lasagna noodles. However many will fit without overlapping. Now top with the hamburger and sauce mixture. Now spread shredded cheese over this layer. I normally just use one kind but if you use two you may want to mix them for more flavor. Don't over cheese because there will be cheese on each layer. Now put another layer of your lasagna pasta over that in each dish. Top with your hamburger, sauce and spice mix. Top with cheese. Finish off with one last layer of pasta. Top with the hamburger, sauce and spice mix. Finish off with the last layer of cheese. Now be sure that you cover with aluminum foil but do not touch the lasagna. I typically put toothpicks in the lasagna to hold the foil up but be careful not to poke holes in the foil. Since just about everything is cooked you don't have to bake it very long. Bake from 30 - 45 minutes at 375 degrees. It depends on if you like your cheese to get brown or if you like it just melted.
If you like vegetables in your lasagna just go ahead and add them to the pan of ground beef and spaghetti sauce. Keep in mind the taste preferences of those you will be serving. Fixing a healthy version that ends up in the trash doesn't do anyone any good. If you like to make your own sauce, that is up to you. You can even add cottage cheese if you wish.
If you need more detailed instructions for cooking your pasta al dente please take a look at these instructions.
The sugar is to take some of the acidity out of the spaghetti sauce. If you already like the taste of the sauce the way it is then simply omit the sugar.
This recipe makes two pans of lasagna. You can cook one and freeze one for another night. With no extra time at all you have just made a freezer meal and a dinner for tonight.
This recipe with just the pasta, spaghetti sauce, ground beef and cheese is very popular with children and picky eaters.
I do not recommend the oven ready lasagna for this recipe.
I do suggest you use all of the sauce and ground beef mixture to achieve the right consistency and avoid dryness.
Barrie says
I Love easy recipes! I could take out the beef for occassional vegetarian lasagna and add veggies.
Debra Holloway says
I love this recipe. I think I will make it tonight for supper.
belinda bell says
I love lasagna and this recipe sounds good
Jennifer Heintz says
This house loves Lasagna, but I would cut the recipe in half. One pan suffices usually and still lots of leftovers.
Theresa Smith says
Yeah, it is made so that you can only cook every other time and freeze one pan. But you can make it fresh each time if you prefer.
Dotty J Boucher says
This looks delicious! and I love my lasagna, I like the way you made it and its definitely on my list as soon as the heat cools down some over here in MA.
Quanda Dykstra says
Very simple indeed. I must try this recipe. Thanks for sharing!
Wendy McBride says
Looks like a great recipe for picky eaters and enough to make a pan and freeze a pan for later!
Lynne B says
When my kids were little (heck, when my husband and I were first married), I would chop the onions up really small so they wouldn’t notice. This is a good flexible recipe!
Mary Songer says
I have a husband who’s also a picky eater. I think I can adapt this to make something he’ll really like. Thanks for the recipe!